Means for holding articles on drying forms and the like



Aug. 4, 1925. A

' A. VOLLENDQRF MEANS FOR HOLDING ARTICLES ON DRYING FORMS AND THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 13. 1923 efiwazzfof drffiari/ol lendarf Aug. 4, 1925.

' A. VOLLENDORF MEANS FOR HOLDING ARTICLES 0N DRYING FORMS AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 13, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented i, 1925,

ARTHUR VOLLENIJORF, OE MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A-SSIGNOB TO PHOENIX I'IOSIERY COMPAFIY, OE MILWAUKEE, WISCONSEN, A COBPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

MEANS FOR HOLDING ARTICLE$ N DRYING FORMS AND THE LIKE.

Application filed December 13, 1923. Serial No. 686,295.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ARTHUR VoLLnNDonr, a citizen of the United States, residing at lV lilwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of lVisconsin, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in iii leans for Holding Articles on Drying Forms and the like, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention has special reference to improved means for holding articles on drying forms and the like. The invention is not limited to such use, however, but may be employed for allother similar work.

In finishing stockings and various other articles and garments, they are put through what is commonly known as the shaping and drying process, which consists in arranging the article, usually in moist condition, upon a form and drying the article to shape. The necessity of a device for holding the article in place on the form to prevent creeping up in the drying process is well known in'the art. Various holding devices, including the use of roughened surfaces on ,the form and the use of article engaging pins or prongs, have been provided for this purpose. I find that such holding devices as these (:l-isfigure the articleandeven break the fabric, detracting from the salable appearance of the article or rendering it wholly unmerchant able. Unless some sortof holding device is provided, the ends of the articles will creep up non-uniformly in the drying process. The result is a variation. or nonuniformity in the lengths of the articles upon removal from the form. Where the articles are marketed in pairs, as stockings, mittens, and the like, tlie difficulty of pairing them is thereby increased and rc-shaping has frequentlybeen necessary. Y

The primary obj ect of my invention is the provision of improved means for holding the article properly in place on the form'without disfiguring the article or impairing its appearance.

Another object is the provision of holding means of simple and relatively inexpensive construction and positive action, and means that may be readily applied to or embodied in forms now in use.

Another object is the provision gt a device which will markthe point on the form to which the article should be drawn and which will form a stop for limiting the drawing of the article on to the form at that point. By setting the holding devices uniformly on a series'or group of forms and drawing the articles on to the'forms until limited by the holding devices, articles of uniform length will be produced without imposing any great degree of precision on the operator.

Other objects and advantages and the structural provisions, which are novel and important, will appear from the following detailed description and the claims taken with an inspection of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a more or less diagrammatic elevational view showing a series of drying forms embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section on line 22 of Fig. 1, with an article in place on the form;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of one end of the holding device; and

Fig. 4; is a horizontal section on line 4-4 of Fig. 8.

Referring to the drawings, 5 designates a conduit for supplying steam or any other suitable drying medium to the series of drying forms 6, which may be of any suitable or preferred construction, branch conduits 7 leading from main supply conduit 5 to the interior of each form 6. Stocking forms are shown, but the invention is, of course, not limited to such forms.

The holding devices 10 each comprise a hollow sleeve 11 encircling and conforming to the form 6, and defining an enclosed space or chamber 12 about the form. Sleeve 11 of the embodimentof the invention shown comprises a sheet metal back 13 conforming substantially to the flat, wide cross section of form 6, and a sheet metal outer wall 14. The upper edges of back 13 and outer wall 14, which walls are preferably of relatively light gauge sheet metal, meet and are joined as by welding, soldering or otherwise securing them together and closing the seam therebetween. The bottom of one side of sleeve 11 is closed by a bottom wall 15. The bottom of the opposite side of sleeve 11 is open to points just short of each of its opposite ends, and communicates with the interior of a shell 16, the upper constricted open end of.

which is secured, as by welding, soldering or in any other suitable manner, to theopen bottom portion of sleeve 11, with the opening at the upper end of shell 16 in communication with the enclosed space or chamber 12 within sleeve 11 through the open bottom thereof, the joint about the attachment of shell 16 to sleeve 11 being securely closed against leakage.

Shell 16 is closed by a back wall 18, a front wall 19 turned in at 20 to the restricted opening 21 along the upper edge of the shell and a side wall 22 closing the entire lower depending side of the shell from one end of opening 21 to the opposite end of said opening. A relativelv short sleeve 24, opening at its inner end into the interior of shell 16 through wall 19 and soldered or otherwise secured in said wall, communicates at its outer end through suitable fittings with a conduit 25, to which is attached a suction pump, fan or other suitable means shown diagrammatically at 26 for generating a drop in pressure in conduit 25.

The outer wall 1% is turned in at 303l along the opposite sides of the sleeve 11, thereby restricting the upper portions of chamber 12 and forming horizontal shoulders along the opposite sides of the holder. These shoulders form stops for limiting the drawing of the stocking 32 onto the form, and with the holding devices 10 all set in alignment, drawing of the stockings on to the form until their lower edges engage over the upper portions of sleeve 11 down to the shoulders formed by turned in portions 30-3l and then drying, will result in shaping the articles to substantially uniform lengths. The holding devices may, of course, be adjusted separately, up or down the forms, or they may be connected and adjusted together as by a suitable lever or pedal mechanism so that their positions on the forms may be varied and their alignment maintained.

The upper'portion of outer wall 14 of sleeve 11 is provided with substantially horizontally aligned apertures 35 along each of the opposite sides of the holder. These open out through the sleeve and subject the inte rior of the lower edge of the garment 32 to the vacuumor drop in pressure inconduit 25. The resulting difference in pressure to which the opposite sides of the lower edge of the garment is subjected results in air being drawn through the fabric of stocking 32 into compartment 12. This draws the lower edge of the garment snugly against the outer sides of the upper portion of sleeve 11 and causes it'to hug the holder tightly. This holds the loweredge of the stocking firmly on the form during drying. Creeping up of the lower edge of the garment, which results in non-uniform lengths, is prevented. Non-uniform shrinking is prevented and the appearance of the article is in no way impaired, and roughened sur faces, pins and the like are avoided.

The holder acts at the lower edge of the garment and need not be placed up at a distance from the lower edge, as is the case with the roughened surfaces heretofore en1- ployed. Positioning of such holding surface up at a distance from the lower edge of the article results in non-uniformity in the lengths of the articles from there down and in flared and belled ends.

Formation of sleeve 11 separately from shell 16 permits employment of heavier stock in the shell and lighter stock in the sleeve, so as to minimize the additional thickness over which the lower edge of the garment is drawn. The opposite ends of the upper portion of sleeve 11 are preferably cutaway,

as shown at 50, and the edges along said cut-away ends are tightly closed against leakage. This eliminates any additional thickness at the opposite edges of the form,

Cutting away of theopposite ends of the upper portion of the sleeve decreases the height of the opposite ends of chamber 12, and the dimensions of the connecting necks at opposite ends of the chamber are preferably increased transversely or in the direction between walls 13 and 14 below the lower edge of the garment, as shown at 40, so that there will be no restriction to communication between the opposite sides of chamber 12. The holder may be conveniently used with the forms now 1n use simply by arranging it over the form into the desired position, and where adjustment of a plurality of holders is desired connecting them for that purpose.

lVhile I have described the invention in connection with the details of a particular embodiment and for use with a particular article and on a particular type of form, I do not thereby intend to limit the invention to such details, as modifications and changes are contemplated within the scope of the appended claims. The feature of holding the article by means of a vacuum or a diii'erence in pressure, which permits holding of the garment at the lower edge instead of at a 1 distance therefrom and avoids injury and impairing the appearance of the article, is a highly important aspect of the invention. The difference in pressure may be created other than by a vacuum, and a. wide range of deviation from the structural details shown is contemplated within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination of a drying and shaping form adapted to have an article arranged thereon for drying and shaping, and differential pressure means encircling the form for holding the article thereon, the form being hollow to provide a conduit within the portion encircled by said holding means.

2. The combination of a drying and shaping form adapted to have an article arranged thereon for drying and shaping, and vacuum means encircling the form for holding the article thereon, the form being hollow to provide a conduit within the portion encircled by said holding means.

3. The combination of a drying and shaping form adapted to have an article arranged thereon for drying and shaping and differential pressure means for holding the article thereon, the form being hollow to form an internal conduit to which a heating medium may be supplied simultaneously with the operation of the difierential pressure holding means.

l. In combination, a shaping and drying form adapted for holding an article, a holding device defining a chamber about the form, and having a portion adapted to lie within the article and between the form and article when the article is in place on the "form, means connected with said chamber and adapted for producing a drop in pres sure, a series of ports opening out from the chamber of the holding device and arranged about the portion of the holding device which lies within the article and peripherally with respect to the form and a con duit within the portion of the form encircled by said chamber to which conduit a heating medium may be supplied simulta neously with the operation of said holding means.

5. A holding device for use with shaping and drying forms, said device comprising a chamber defining means adapted for surrounding the form and having upstanding hollow lips and port means opening out through said lips.

6. A holding device for use with shaping drying form adapted to have an article arranged thereon of difierential pressure means adjustable with respect to the form and adapted for holding the article in place thereon.

8. In combination, a hollow shaping and drying form, differential pressure means encircling the form and adapted for holding an article in place thereon, said differential pressure means having a perforated portion for receiving the article and lying between it and the form and enlarged at the base of said perforated portion to form a surrounding chamber a stop for limiting the drawing of the article onto the form and the form being hollow to provide a conduit within the portion encircled by the holding means.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 10th day of December, 1923.

ARTHUR VOLLENDORF. 

